Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year Watch, March 16

In trying to accurately forecast the guys in contention of Player of the Year honors at the end of the season, the main identifiers are players on the best teams who combine the most production with being at the center of what makes that particular team successful. For better or worse, that’s what committees who decide these things have historically favored.

To date, there’s been an interesting mix — several top teams’ No. 1 option isn’t putting up the best numbers; a couple top teams have been getting true team efforts, without one guys stepping to the forefront; and the most productive players have not come from teams with perfect records, and even they’ve had up-and-down outings.

What it all means is the first in-season update of the Player of the Year Watch is even more speculative than in years past. That said, as the games are played and the picture becomes clearer, here’s a starting point.

1. Billy Bitter, Jr, A, North Carolina (9, 13 in 6 games)
A slow start (helped by a tremendous day from Bryant goalie Jameson Love) was expected as defenses spent an offseason focusing on Bitter, and he spent the offseason working on his passing game. Plus, a handful of new offensive contributors had to settle in around him. That’s given way to a more familiar Bitter, dodging with remarkable precision and effectiveness, scoring and racking up assist totals. A highlight came last week against Duke, and another test comes tonight against unbeaten Princeton.

2. Grant Catalino, Jr, A, Maryland (10, 12 in 5 games)
Maryland’s offense is clearly a multi-threat beast, and for as good as Ryan Young’s been in controlling the tempo, Catalino’s been the key to finishing their plays. Add in his OT game-winner against Duke, and only one guy in the country is more important to getting his team off to a better start.

3. Jordan McBride, Jr, A, Stony Brook (21, 4 in 4 games)
At 3-1, Stony Brook is averaging a shade under 15 goals per game and McBride’s had a hand in nearly 50 percent of the Seawolves’ goals. That he was blanked in SBU’s loss to Virginia shows some inconsistency, as well as how vital his play to his team’s success.

4. Curtis Dickson, Sr, A, Delaware (30, 9 in 6 games)
The nation’s leading scorer, Dickson’s been involved in 54% of his team’s scoring. Like McBride, he was held down in one game (a 15-7 loss at Hopkins), but his numbers otherwise have been eye-popping on a weekly basis.

5. Max Quinzani, Sr, A, Duke (23, 3 in 6 games)
While Duke’s early season struggles have the preseason No. 1 reeling, Quinzani’s been a bright spot for the Blue Devils. His mid-range shooting, in-tight finishing and hustle plays in the riding game are a constant. What’s so remarkable about his productivity is how dependant it typically is on Duke’s offense playing well.

6. John Galloway, Jr, G, Syracuse (9.24GAA, 61.1%)
Playing behind a defense that’s been banged up and an offense that is starting to find itself after four games, Galloway’s been excellent in net, including his best game — an 18-save performance in Charlottesville. He’s been as good as ever in the clearing game, and has shown an attitude that suggests he’s the leader of the Cuse D.

7. Chris Bocklet, Soph, A, Virginia (17, 7 in 6 games)
Virginia’s off-ball presence has shown to be instrumental to their success. While Steele Stanwick settles into running the show and the midfield figures out how it’ll pose the biggest threat, Bocklet’s been there to provide the “easy” goals that have gotten the Cavaliers through the early part of their schedule.

8. Rob Engelke, Sr, A, Princeton (3, 10 in 4 games)
Princeton’s the team whose statistical production is most evenly distributed — the Tigers, who are scoring a tremendous amount of unassisted goals, haven’t had to rely on a go-to guy yet. Their defense, which has been good but not great in their 4-0 start, will be tested tonight. Engelke’s ability to move and control the ball has been excellent, and his shooting (albeit rare) has been pinpoint.

9. Tom Perini, Jr, A, Lafayette (20, 3 in 5 games)
Perini has meant more to the Leopards than either Trevor Moore has to Robert Morris or Matt Gibson has to Yale (though they’ve both been extremely good) in that trio’s collective good start. Perini’s also been a top-notch goalscorer since arriving at Lafayette. He’s also had his best against Lafayette’s toughest opponents — three against Fairfield and four against Navy.

10. Michael Kimmel, Sr, M, Johns Hopkins (11, 9 in 6 games)
Kimmel’s production out of the Hopkins midfield has been a steadying factor for the Blue Jays. At the end of a quiet game against Princeton, he showed a flash of tenacity and a lot of leadership in putting in a goal to send the game to overtime. He’s also been good in areas that don’t get on the scoresheet.